Efforts by local councils encouraging people to recycle more may have been in vain, it has emerged, as waste collected by GreenMT is not being adequately separated despite warnings issued by Wasteserv.

This newspaper has seen footage showing garbage trucks used by GreenMT at St Paul’s Bay, Dingli and Senglea mixing recycled waste with other waste. This happened on more than one occasion throughout the three localities.

According to the law on the general requirements for the collection of such waste, “an establishment or undertaking which collects, transports or receives waste which has been separately collected shall not mix that waste with other waste or other material with different properties”.

As part of the Packaging and Packaging Waste Scheme, councils enter into an agreement with either GreenMT or GreenPAK who empty bins at bring-in sites as well as collect recycled waste from households.

This waste would then be taken to the material recovery facility at the Sant’ Antnin Waste Treatment Plant where it would be mechanically and manually sorted, packed into large bales and then sold on a monthly basis to the highest bidder, to be exported for further treatment mainly in European and Asian countries.

When contacted, GreenMT CEO Joe Attard said he wasnot aware of such practicesand insisted that the service had been running smoothlyfor months.

“The minute I hear that something of the sort is taking place, I would be the first one to take action,” Mr Attard said.

For years, waste management plans have not led to much change. In an interview with The Sunday Times of Malta two years ago, Environment Minister Leo Brincat had spoken of “a racket” among waste operators contracted by councils.

At the time he had said the issue would be addressed because separation at source is “the core” of the waste management plan.

By 2020, Malta needs to be recycling 50 per cent of its waste, yet according to data issued by Eurostat last week, in 2014, only eight per cent of waste was recycled.

In the footage, bins with different waste could also be seen being emptied into one truck. Mr Attard said this was only the case with bins which were on wheels where waste collected from them was not being separated but was instead being mixed.

The minute I hear that something of the sort is taking place, I would be the first one to take action

Mr Attard said this was made clear through signage on the bins which indicated that the waste was not being separated and that it held mixed recyclables – paper, plastic and metal.

Some of the bins, however, still have labels indicating which material should be disposed of where, making it difficult for those disposing of such waste to distinguish whether the bins hold mixed waste or a single type of waste.

Both the mayors of St Paul’s Bay and Senglea said they were unaware of the practice and were under the impression that the waste was still being separated.

“The local council is committed to ensure that all measures in favour of recycling are in place. I have contacted GreenMT in order to see that all parameters are followed to ensure recycling collection is carried out as it should be,” St Paul’s Bay mayor Graziella Galea said when contacted.

Footage showing garbage trucks used by GreenMT at St Paul’s Bay, Dingli and Senglea mixing recycled waste with other waste.

She said the council was going out of its way to promote recycling and it made no sense to encourage residents to separate their waste only to have it mixed again by the collector.

Senglea mayor Joe Casha echoed Ms Galea’s concerns, saying he had not received any reports on the matter but would be looking into it.

Mr Casha said that while he had no control over methods of collection, as this fell within the remit of GreenMT, he would be getting in touch with the service provider to look into the matter.

Meanwhile, Dingli acting-secretary Kevin Borg said the council knew of the issue and had already looked into the matter. Mr Borg said the council had even considered sub-contracting to the other waste collector as the practice by GreenMT went against the council’s efforts to encourage people to recycle.

Wasteserv CEO Tonio Montebello confirmed commingling of waste had been taking place and that there had been instances where the waste arriving at the Sant’ Antnin plant was not being properly separated.

Mr Montebello said while it was up to the companies collecting the waste to make sure this was being done properly, when inspectors note that this was happening, a warning was issued.

“We are aware the waste collectors sometimes mix the grey bags with waste from the bring-in sites.

“When it is determined that the waste has been commingled, the company issues a notification and the waste is paid at the lower of two fees,” Mr Montebello said.

Mr Attard said GreenMT had not received any such warnings in recent months. While the company was doing its utmost to ensure it followed all the necessary procedures, he said, he did not exclude the possibility that truck drivers were collecting other waste and mixing it with the recycled waste.

Green MT was set up by The Malta Chamber of SMEs, GRTU and has contracts with 27 councils in Malta and Gozo.